


The Professional

by Anonymous



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst, But endgame is Clack, Cloud Strife Needs a Hug, Confessions, Crossdressing, Death, Dubious Consent, Erotic Thriller, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Loss of Virginity, Love at First Sight, M/M, Multishipping, Mutual Pining, Office Sex, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Power Imbalance, Prostitution, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sadistic Sephiroth, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:06:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25263562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Cloud gets an unexpected mentor in Andrea Rhodea and tries to navigate his new profession as an escort. It's more dangerous than he thought.aka, an excuse to ship Cloud with everyone (but his true love is Zack)Chapter One - The MentorChapter Two - The SerpentChapter Three - The FoxChapter Four - The PuppyChapter Five - The HeirChapter Six - The KingpinChapter Seven - The WolfChapter Eight - EpilogueProstitution/Semi-Modern/Thriller AU.
Relationships: Cloud Strife/Others, Don Corneo/Cloud Strife, Reno/Cloud Strife, Rufus Shinra/Cloud Strife, Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 176
Kudos: 259
Collections: Anonymous





	1. The Mentor

Cloud Strife had once dreamed of escaping his little town.

The city was less forgiving than he had imagined.

He left the army without much to call his own - a small bag of toiletries, a few changes of clothing, and a small blade.

Expulsion from the barracks threw him into Midgar's most unsavory streets. He had only a little bit of Gil, not nearly enough for even the cheapest inn around these parts. 

Shops and public spaces closed up late in the evenings, leaving Cloud to shiver in the cold. He kept his blade tucked into one palm while he slept.

As Cloud shifted uncomfortably above layers of discarded boxes, he struggled to keep his eyes shut. He curled into his own body for warmth, hoping that no one would approach him in the dead of night. The feeling of being out in the open sent unease down his spine.

Cloud was miserable. Tired. Hungry.

He would have done just about anything for the comfort of a bed and a hot meal.

A few days later, Cloud sat quietly at a coffeehouse, nursing a cup of black coffee. It had long turned cold, but it allowed him to sit down and watch people mill about. He drank slowly, but the waiters didn't bother him about it. 

Finding a job while living on the streets seemed impossible. He wouldn't even have an address to give. But he needed something soon, or things would only get worse.

All he needed was enough to get a room for the night. Something to get him back on the right track.

He sipped as slowly as he could, but soon found himself staring into an empty paper cup.

In the bathroom, he splashed his face with hot water vigorously. The heat felt good on his skin. His hair wasn’t dirty yet. Grooming it with his fingers a bit, his blond spikes settled into their usual pattern. 

His skin was pale, and he could see dark circles under his eyes.

Uncapping the half-squeezed toothpaste from his bag, he spread a thin layer over his toothbrush. The mint washed away the brown bitterness of the coffee.

Cloud flinched inwardly, when he caught sight of another customer along his reflection. The man gave him a strange look.

The establishment was spacious and elegant, full of modern accents and trendy decor. The patrons were well-dressed, busy, and inattentive. The past few days had worn him down, but he still looked presentable, if a bit out of place. His black hoodie and black jeans hid dirt well.

Sunlight streamed in through glass panes, dousing the tables with rays of warmth. He returned to his table and empty paper cup.

Though it appeared foolish to do this in broad daylight, Cloud wanted to do _something_ before he lost the nerve.

He searched the crowd, hoping that it would not be the worst mistake of his life.

His eyes focused on one patron near one of the exits. The man was relatively nondescript, aside from the designer clothing he wore. Average build, average height, closely cropped hair. Well-groomed. The sharp lines of his suit seemed to drip with money. His coat hung loosely on the back of his chair, and a wallet bulged out of one pocket. Perfect.

All Cloud had to do was walk towards the exit, reach over, and grab the wallet. Then get the hell out of there, before anyone noticed. He could disappear into the throngs of people outside and no one would be the wiser.

His heart started beating unpleasantly, as if it were trying to escape his chest.

Sweat gathered at the back of his head, and the skin of his neck burned. His toes trembled with anticipation and discomfort. His legs reluctantly pushed him forward.

He could do this. It felt wrong, but he could do this.

And just as he dipped his hand to wrap around the small leather parcel, Cloud felt smooth fingers gripping his wrist tightly. Shit.

The man looked at him, not at all amused, but then his expression suddenly softened. He looked strangely pleased.

“I… uh,” Cloud stammered.

“Sit.” The man gestured to the empty chair at his table.

Even though his knees told him not to, even though his legs shook, Cloud obeyed. He looked down at the white smooth surface of the cafe table, unwilling to meet the man’s eyes. His heart still thumped loudly in his chest. Cloud felt it stutter over his bones and pulse in his ears.

The man waved over a waiter, nonchalantly. “A croissant, please. A ham and egg sandwich. And a glass of orange juice, please.”

The porcelain dishes and bright juice were whisked over quickly, with the steam making hazy circles in the sunlight. Cloud felt his stomach react to the sight.

“Eat,” the man said, his chin in one hand, amber eyes looking at him inquisitively.

“This is for me?”

“Yes. Eat. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

Cloud just stared at the food wordlessly.

The man sighed. “Eat, please.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Eat. Then we’ll talk.” The man’s words were pushy, but his demeanor remained friendly.

Cloud bit into the crescent-shaped croissant. The buttery flakes melted on his tongue. The sweet scent filled his nostrils. He had never tasted anything so good in his entire life.

“What’s your name?”

“Why, so you can report me?” Cloud picked cautiously at the juicy ham and scrambled egg.

“I’m not interested in doing anything of the sort.”

Cloud snorted. “Tell me what you’re interested in, then. Because you’re being weirdly nice to someone who just tried to steal from you.”

The man smiled faintly. “You remind me of myself, when I was younger. I remember what it’s like to be alone and unlucky.”

Cloud stuffed himself with bits of warm bread instead of responding. He should be biting into the sandwich, like a normal person, but somehow it tasted better in small pieces.

“Judging by your reaction to the food, I can tell your actions were more out of desperation than greed.”

That touched Cloud perhaps more than it should have. At least this stranger had not judged him too harshly. He felt apologetic and ashamed.

“Cloud,” he blurted out in between bites.

“Cloud?”

“My name is Cloud.”

“I’m Andrea.”

“Thanks for the food… Andrea.” Cloud sipped the juice. He had never tasted the fresh-squeezed kind before. It tasted richer than the type that was produced from a factory. The juice alone probably cost half the Gil he had left.

“You’re welcome. So, tell me, how did you end up in your current predicament?”

Cloud’s cheeks reddened. “I … was in the military. But I got disqualified.”

“You have any family?”

Cloud shook his head.

Sympathetic eyes gazed at him. “So what are your plans now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm.” Andrea drummed his fingers on the table. “I have a proposition for you, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”

He didn’t like where this was going.

“You’re very attractive, Cloud. Stunning, really.” He brushed a strand of Cloud’s hair out of his eyes to examine them more closely.

His body stiffened and his shoulders curled upwards. Of course the guy was some kind of perv. He wouldn’t be the first person to have “propositioned” Cloud.

“I could use someone like you on my roster.”

“Roster?”

“I manage an escort service for very well-paying clientele. Clients who would pay a lot for beauty like yours.”

The taste of the food suddenly became bitter in his mouth. “Not interested.”

Andrea observed Cloud’s scowl with disappointment. “That’s a pity.”

“I’m not paying you back for the food, by the way. Or doing anything else for you.”

“You’ve mistaken my intentions, Cloud. I wasn’t expecting anything in return.” Andrea pressed his lips into a thin line. “It’s really not as bad as you think. You can always refuse a client. You can set limits. You can keep sixty percent of the proceeds. You’ll make more than enough for a living for a few nights of work per week.”

Cloud hated that it sounded more tempting than it should have.

“I was like you once, Cloud. There is a certain power in beauty. Shame only holds you back from claiming that power.”

He reached into his pocket and slipped a card onto the table. It was textured like linen and perfumed with roses.

“Come find me when you’re ready.”

Andrea gave his shoulder a firm squeeze before walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just felt compelled to write an AU with Cloud as a prostitute so I could multi-ship him. Sorry there's no smut yet. I feel really bad at writing, but I wrote this anyway. Hoping to continue with more chapters.
> 
> Will add more ships/characters as it goes along.


	2. The Serpent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I promised y'all smut, so here's some smut. Cloud's first client gets a little rough at one point, hence the dubcon tag.

“So you’re a virgin?”

Andrea raised a thin, perfectly arched eyebrow at him.

Cloud nodded glumly.

“You haven’t done anything, before?”

Cloud shook his head. “I’ve… I’ve been hit on before, but I’ve never pursued it.”

“Do you like men? Women?”

“Both? I think. I’m not sure.”

“Hmm.” Andrea leaned his weight back on the hotel dresser. “To be honest with you, there’s very few women who tend to pay for sex. Most of your clients would be men. Are you okay with that?”

He shrugged somewhat affirmatively. The truth was that he probably liked men a little more than women, judging by the fantasies he’s had while touching himself.

“Is that a yes, Cloud?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Andrea brushed a hand through Cloud’s hair, which made him flinch a little. “Now, I have a few clients who would view your inexperience as a bonus. Something they’d be willing to pay extra for.”

Cloud tried to imagine what kind of person wanted a whore with no experience. Only bad thoughts came to mind.

He frowned, biting into his lower lip.

Andrea noticed his reaction. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to offer you up to anyone with cruel tendencies.”

“But you do have clients then, with cruel tendencies?”

“A few. I don’t judge. It’s all a matter of making the right match.” He tilted Cloud’s chin upward and stepped back to take a picture.

“Do you want me to take my clothes off?”

“No, a picture of your face will be sufficient.”

Andrea handed him a new phone and a bit of spending money. “Enjoy the room. Have a nice shower. Consider it an advance for now. I’ll call you with details when I have your first meeting arranged.”

* * *

Cloud took a deep breath, and knocked on Room 304.

He had no idea what to expect. His only instructions were to shower very thoroughly before he arrived. He wore a slightly nicer version of what he usually wore - a black t-shirt with black jeans, along with a leather jacket, courtesy of Andrea.

The door opened. A broad chest in a dark button-up shirt filled his vision. He had to tilt his head up to look at him. The man who had agreed to pay an obscene sum to take his virginity.

He was impossibly beautiful. Ethereal, even.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said with a slight smile. He invited Cloud to come in with a wide sweep of his arm as he pushed the door back. His long silver hair followed his graceful movements. As he locked it with a click, Cloud felt an uneasiness run through him.

Cloud’s eyes swayed up and down the man’s form, which seemed to amuse him. He casually sat down into a burgundy velvet chair and sipped a glass of white wine, staring back at Cloud with a penetrating gaze. His green eyes had a predatory glint to them.

“Sorry, you’re just ... not what I expected,” Cloud stammered.

“Oh? Are you disappointed?”

“No… I mean, look at you. Why would someone like you have to pay for…” Cloud trailed off.

“I have my reasons.”

Cloud noticed then what one of those reasons might be. He observed a pale strip of skin around one of the man’s fingers, where a ring should have been.

“I’m surprised by you as well. I wouldn’t expect someone with your looks to be a virgin.” He set down the wine glass and beckoned Cloud over, pulling him down into his lap.

His breath smelled sweet with alcohol. “What’s your name, Angel?” The man himself looked like an angel. Like some perfect Seraph, carved from glittering marble.

“You can call me Sky.”

“Hmm. I can’t have your real name?”

“My real name is just as ridiculous. Trust me.”

His lips were so close to Cloud’s. He had been told to expect kissing with this client. Cloud felt the hands on his waist squeeze gently, then rest on the small of his back.

“You can have mine. It’s Sephiroth.”

It was an unusual name, but no more unusual than his own, he supposed.

Sephiroth pulled him closer until their noses were touching, then crushed his lips against his. A slender tongue darted into his mouth. It twirled around Cloud’s tongue, flicking over his teeth, exploring the different surfaces.

And then Sephiroth thrusted his tongue forward until it became pointy and began dipping his face forward and back, so that the velvety muscle was going in and out of Cloud’s parted lips.

It was a curiously erotic act that made him shiver.

Cloud felt himself hardening in his pants already and the man had barely touched him.

Sephiroth slipped a hand lower and lazily traced the outline of Cloud’s erection. “You like being fucked in the mouth, don’t you?” He said softly, before planting a tender kiss along his jaw.

Cloud flushed.

“I’ll give you something more substantial than that. On your knees, please.”

Cloud crawled off his lap to the floor and looked up at him. The older man smiled arrogantly and reached down to pull out his cock, big and twitching.

“Taste it.”

Cloud looked downwards. “I… I don’t know how to…”

Sephiroth ran a hand through Cloud’s hair, lovingly, before gripping it at the base of his skull.

“Taste it,” he repeated.

Cloud leaned forward and let his tongue flick over the tip, along the slit. He looked up, searching for approval.

“Don’t be shy. Wet it with your mouth.”

He dragged his tongue along the length, from base to tip, back and forth, coating it with wet licks and kisses. Cloud looked up into Sephiroth’s eyes for a reaction, and he seemed pleased so far.

Sephiroth pushed his head down lower, so Cloud focused his attention on the soft skin of his balls, hoping that this was what the man wanted.

“Good,” Sephiroth moaned softly. “Now let me in your pretty mouth.”

Cloud’s lips brushed against the glistening head, then he parted them to allow entry.

“No,” Sephiroth told him. “Cover your teeth with your lips.”

Cloud corrected himself and heard a low groan of pleasure, as he took in as much as his throat would permit.

He felt thumbs brushing against his eyelashes, cupping the sides of his face.

Sephiroth then took Cloud’s hands by the wrists and pinned them beneath his own thighs. He began rocking upward into Cloud’s mouth.

Thrusting hard.

Then harder.

He felt his own saliva begin to leak out and gather below his chin. The grip on the back of his neck tightened.

Despite the discomfort, Cloud felt his erection throbbing. His hands ached underneath Sephiroth's weight.

“Do you like that?”

Cloud wasn’t sure how he expected him to answer, considering that he was choking on cock at the moment.

Sephiroth stroked his face with one hand, clutching the back of Cloud's head with the other, and continued to push forward violently.

Cloud mumbled onto his dick.

“What’s that?”

He paused to let Cloud take in a breath. A string of saliva briefly attached between his flushed lips and the head of Sephiroth’s pulsing cock before snapping back to his chin.

“Andrea said you’d be gentle,” Cloud muttered, wiping his reddened mouth with a sleeve.

Sephiroth stroked his cheek. “I’m sorry. Was that too rough?”

“Just a little.”

His knees hurt. He wasn't sure why that surprised him.

Sephiroth leaned forward to kiss his mouth again. “I’m sorry. I meant to go a little slower with you, but I got carried away.” Cloud felt fingers curling posessively around his neck.

An uneasy feeling lingered in his gut. He wasn’t sure if it was his own naivete, or if the guy got off on making him uncomfortable. A little controlling, but a gentleman, Andrea had said.

“It’s just that you excite me so much,” Sephiroth murmured. "You're so sensitive." His thumb grazed over the corner of Cloud's mouth, where the beginnings of a bruise was forming. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly.

Andrea had said it would be okay to stop if he wanted. It would affect his pay, but he was allowed to walk away from a customer if he wished.

He decided to trust him.

Cloud got up to straddle his lap again. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the man’s wide shoulders, resting his face in the crook of his neck. Sephiroth reached down and unzipped his pants, pulling out Cloud’s cock to throb against his own.

It had been aching for touch.

“You excite me too,” he whispered into Sephiroth's ear.

Sephiroth must have felt badly, because he was deliberately gentle every step of the way afterwards. Undressing him. Constantly pausing to ask if his actions were okay, or if any of it hurt.

Caressing his hands over his entire body, brushing over the sensitive tips of his nipples, stroking his erect length. “You’re beautiful,” Sephiroth’s low voice murmured into his ear.

He heard the sound of a bottle uncapping. “I’m going to prepare you now.”

Cloud nodded. Andrea had explained this part to him, to Cloud’s chagrin. It felt like the awkward sex talk with the Dad he never had.

“This might feel a little cold at first. And a little strange.”

He tried not to wince as Sephiroth’s fingers pressed into him.

“Tell me if this is okay.”

Cloud felt a kiss at the back of his neck. His spine arched as Sephiroth’s fingers grazed over a sensitive spot. Jolts of pleasure ran through him.

A hand on his neck gently pushed downwards, forcing his body to take on a triangular shape.

“Can you feel me against you?” The wet, blunt head pressed against his entrance.

Cloud nodded his assent, and Sephiroth inserted himself slowly. The sensation was strange, unfamiliar, but only mildly uncomfortable.

He made startled cries of pleasure as Sephiroth began thrusting into him. He clasped the bedsheets with whitened knuckles.

“Can you handle this?” Sephiroth murmured. “Does it hurt?”

“No,” Cloud panted. “It feels good.”

“Good. Tell me when you’re close, sweet boy.”

Cloud’s cries became louder, and the speed of Sephiroth’s thrusts increased. The sound of their coupling filled the air.

“I’m close,” Cloud choked out.

Sephiroth pumped into him one last time, releasing hot spurts of come into Cloud, and flipped him over.

“Come for me, sweet boy," Sephiroth cooed, as his fingers wrapped around him.

Cloud felt trails of his own come spill onto his stomach as he clenched his teeth. Sephiroth leaned over him, lapping it clean with his tongue. Silver hair fell around him like a curtain, tickling Cloud’s thighs.

For some reason, he couldn’t help but feel like a fresh kill in front of a ravenous animal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut was harder to write than I thought. Hope it's readable.
> 
> Please check out [UnLike_us](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnLike_Us/pseuds/UnLike_Us)'s wonderful [fanart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14627151/chapters/62205085) (SFW) for this chapter! ❤️✨


	3. The Fox

Cloud stepped into the hotel shower, sliding the door closed. The panes were transparent glass, which made him feel exposed, but they soon fogged up with steam.

The heat of the water kneaded into his sore muscles. He closed his eyes, thinking about long fingertips drifting over his skin.

He never thought he would become a whore.

They called his mother that, before she died.

Cloud never knew if it was true or not, but he knew that she would have done anything for them. If she was one, he forgave her for it. Wherever she was now, he only hoped that she wasn’t too disappointed in him.

Her opinion was the only one that ever should have mattered. When the people of his little nowhere-town whispered about them, he would direct his anger at the wrong person. He cut her with his words.

_It’s your fault I don’t have a father._

And now she was gone.

And Cloud decided that he didn’t give a shit what other people thought anymore.

Sex was something people did all the time. The only difference here was that a payment was involved. Was that so terrible?

But the dark feeling in his gut wouldn’t go away.

Enclosing himself in a fluffy white robe, he flopped onto the bed. There was a chocolate truffle wrapped in silver foil on his pillow. The cleaning lady liked him. She always left extra candies whenever he left his room for more than a few hours.

Popping the treat into his mouth, Cloud sank into the soft comforter.

This hotel was not as nice as the one he had been in earlier, but it was nicer than the streets. It was nicer than the barracks. It was nicer than home.

Home didn’t exist anymore, for him.

His phone buzzed, and there could only be one possible caller.

“How are you feeling?” Andrea asked brightly.

“Fine,” he answered after a pause.

“The client was really happy with you. He’s already thinking of seeing you again.”

“Oh.”

Cloud touched the corner of his lips absently.

“I’m going to send over one of my other Bees tomorrow to help you get settled with some things. Bank account, apartment. Show you the ropes. You’ll like him.”

Bees were what Andrea called his roster of escorts - as in ‘worker bee’. He was one of them now, he supposed.

Andrea seemed nice enough. There was something trustworthy about him, despite being someone who was involved in a fairly shady business.

That night, he dreamt of a large white snake.

It coiled around his limbs and neck, hissing into his ears. It flicked its forked tongue into his mouth, dripping venom down his throat. His body froze. 

The vicious grip became tighter and tighter, until it choked out his last breath.

Cloud awoke into darkness, bewildered and slick with sweat.

* * *

Reno didn’t even bother to be let in; He just barged through the door.

“Um, hello?”

Reno looked him up and down and one corner of his mouth turned slyly upward. “You the new kid?”

“Yeah. It’s Reno, right?”

Reno threw his head back and chortled with laughter.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms defensively. “What’s so funny?”

Still lost in his own amusement, Reno slowly regained his composure.

“It’s nothing. You’re just such a lost looking little lamb. ‘Dre said I’d be babysitting today, but I didn’t think he meant literally.”

Cloud blew his lips derisively. “You can’t be that much older than me. And even if you are, that doesn’t make me a ... baby.”

“I’m twenty-five.”

That made him seven years older than Cloud. It was older than he had expected. Reno looked very boyish still, with his narrow chin and sharp cheekbones.

Reno smirked as Cloud took in the sight of him: His wild red hair, lanky figure, fox-like eyes.

Half of the buttons on Reno’s shirt were undone, as if he couldn’t be bothered. More than a hint of toned muscle could be seen underneath his clothes.

“Always passed for younger, though. Haven’t gotten any complaints about it.”

“So, how long have you been doing this?” Cloud asked, curious.

“Probably since you first learned to jerk off, kid.”

“You know, Andrea didn’t mention that you’d be an asshole.”

“Oh? What did dear ol’ Dad say about me?”

“He said that I would like you.”

Reno winked at him. “You do. You just don’t know it yet.”

Smoothing a hand through his hair, Reno crouched down to examine the contents of the minibar. He pulled out a bag of chocolate candies and two small bottles of whiskey. He threw one of them at Cloud.

“What are you doing?” Cloud asked incredulously.

“Running up your tab. Heard you got a nice bonus.”

Cloud opened his mouth to say something unkind about that, but then he remembered that Reno was there to help him get settled with things. His jaw snapped shut.

Reno laid back on the bed, arms behind his head, lazily popping chocolates into his mouth. His dirty boots left smears of gray on the pristine white comforter. “Pack your shit. And save that drink for later.”

“I’m not old enough to drink.”

“Of course you aren’t,” Reno sneered.

There was something about Reno that made people step out of his way as they walked. Maybe it was the confidence in his stride, or the look in his eyes that made it clear that he wouldn’t take shit from anyone.

After picking up a set of keys and setting up an account for him at the bank, during which Reno had stared down a poor trembling clerk for making them wait so long, he whisked Cloud down a narrow street with small food shops.

“This place has the best Wutainese, trust me.”

The inside of the place left something to be desired - the walls had tiles on them, like a bathroom would. Papered illustrations decorated the walls, along with photographs of food. Each dish had a number and price, but the words were in a different language. The wall behind the cashier had, for some reason, rows of paper Gil taped on it.

A pretty waitress with inky eyes flirted with Reno, and he asked her how her studies had been. He turned on the charm, his hand grazing the small of her back as he spoke. It was clear that he was a regular here.

They sat down at a small table. Cloud examined the menu. There were at least a hundred dishes, although many of them seemed to be slight variations of each other. He flipped through the pages to the back, where there were mini versions of the food photographs on the wall.

Impatiently, Reno tapped on the table. “Do you know what you want to order yet? We don’t have all day.”

“I don’t know what half this stuff is.”

“Want me to order for you? Baby?” Reno said the last word mockingly.

Scowling, Cloud asked, “What’s this one?” He pointed to a dish over rice with an esoteric name inside the italicized parenthesis.

“It’s good. Eggs, onions, chicken. Get it.”

Reno ordered them some sweet milk teas that came in tall glasses. It came with a long metal spoon, which the waitress explained was for stirring the flavors and scooping up the bits of chewy treats at the bottom. She rested her hand on his shoulder, leaning in close as she demonstrated.

“See, even Mai thinks you’re a big baby.”

“Do you ever shut up?”

Reno grinned. “No.”

Cloud felt vulpine eyes resting on him as they waited for their food to arrive.

“Ask me.”

“Ask you what?” Cloud said with irritation.

“Ask me whatever you want. That’s what I’m here for.”

Cloud paused. He did have a question, but he didn’t want to offend Reno. Getting on his bad side was not something he wanted to experience.

“If you’ve been doing this for a while, why haven’t you tried to get out?”

Reno cocked his head to the side, as if he were thinking about it. “Well, I’m not really just one of Andrea’s bees anymore. I run other errands too.”

“What kind of errands?”

“You don’t want to know,” Reno smiled with a gleam of sharp teeth.

Cloud decided not to push it, because he heard the warning in Reno’s tone.

“And why haven’t I tried to get out? I get paid well. I fuck when I want to fuck, I choose who I want to fuck. And I like my boss. There’s not really more you can ask for from a job, is there?”

“You never... had some other goal in life?”

“All jobs are the same in the end. Someone tells you what to do and then you get paid.” Reno stirred his drink. “Those office drones are just whores with a different title. Might as well do something you’re good at and enjoy.”

His turquoise eyes flickered up at him. “So how about you, Cloud? Having regrets?”

Cloud realized that it was the first time Reno had addressed him by his name.

Mai dropped off steaming cast iron bowls on bamboo trays. “Hot,” she cautioned.

The rice dish tasted really good. Just the right blend of savory and sweet, fragrant with caramelized onions and well-spiced meats. He shoveled food into his mouth. It was a habit of Cloud’s when he didn’t want to answer someone.

“It’s okay if you are, you know. But you’d better let ‘Dre know sooner rather than later. Since he’s already invested in you.” All mirth had dropped from his expression, leaving only a seriousness that looked out of place on Reno.

“No. You’re right. The pay is good. I’m just ... trying to get used to it all.” Cloud mumbled. He fiddled with his fork.

“You just need to try a little harder.” The tone wasn’t mocking, this time.

He liked Reno’s attitude. Confident and shameless. Sure of what he wanted. So unlike himself.

Cloud didn’t want to admit it, but he did like Reno. Rude and brash on the surface, but there was some strange loyalty underneath. Like he considered Cloud one of them now. Like he belonged.

It was late in the afternoon when they finished eating. Reno led him up to a tall building with a brick exterior - indicating that it was not developed as recently as the glass skyscrapers they had passed by earlier. It looked clean and well-cared for, with sections of freshly trimmed grass simulating a garden out front.

The apartment was small, which was to be expected of these parts - living so close to the downtown nightlife meant that rents were high, with space as a premium commodity. But it was still nicer than Cloud had expected, pre-furnished and modern.

Reno whistled. “Not bad, right?”

Cloud set down his duffel bag of meager possessions. “This place is all mine?” he asked with a hint of wonder.

“All yours.” He dropped the keys into Cloud’s palm, then curled Cloud’s fingers around them. Leaning in so close that he inhaled a mix of the cologne and cigarettes that lingered on Reno’s clothes.

Tattoos. Shrewd eyes. Full lips. Close enough to touch his own. Cloud felt his head buzzing.

Reno suddenly let go and rummaged out the bottles of Whiskey he had procured earlier. Unscrewing a cap, he made a motion to toast, clinking the amber glass together.

“Welcome to the club, kid.” 

The liquid had a flavor punctuated with notes of spice and wood. It burned as it went down Cloud’s throat. His eyes watered and he gagged a little.

“Tastes ... like ... shit,” he coughed out. Reno rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Another thing you have to get used to,” Reno smiled with amusement. He sat down on the couch, downing the rest of the drink in large gulps.

He patted the cushions, and Cloud obligingly sat next to him.

“Want some advice?” 

Cloud bit back the urge to talk back, though he was certain Reno would say what he wanted to say, regardless of how he might answer.

Being defensive was just the way he reacted to everything.

“Sure.”

“A pretty face gets you in the door, but you’re gonna need more than that.” Reno made a wavy gesture over Cloud’s face. “This? This bitchface thing you’re doing? That’s not gonna work.”

Cloud huffed.

“Most of these clients are just lonely,” he continued. “You’ve got to read them. Figure out what they want. Make them feel good about themselves.”

“So read me, Reno. What do I want?” Cloud rolled his eyes.

Reno suddenly jumped on top of him, pinning Cloud down. “You want to feel like you’re in control.” He caught Cloud’s wrist before it made contact with his jaw, which earned him a piercing glare.

Cloud struggled underneath his weight and instinctively tried to throw him off, in vain.

“Let me guess. Your first John made you feel vulnerable and weak. Just like I’m doing right now,” Reno said casually.

He hadn’t been able to describe the feeling in words until Reno did it for him. That sinking feeling that had been his gut since last night.

The feeling of not being in control of his body. Or his life, for that matter.

Reno got off of him, allowing them both to sit upright, facing each other. He leaned forward to speak directly into Cloud’s ear. The skin on his back shivered.

“You’re afraid. But curious.”

Reno’s looked him in the eyes, back and forth as if searching for something.

Soft lips descended on his. A hand slipped under his shirt, feeling his hot and flushed skin. Cloud’s eyelids fluttered.

“I’ll let you take control,” Reno promised.

Soon Reno’s mouth was wrapped around his cock. Cloud shuddered with pleasure. The redhead traced his tongue along the tip in circles.

“Watch me, Cloud. Watch what I’m doing.”

Cloud opened his eyes to see Reno dragging a curved tongue on the underside of his cock. His eyes stared into Cloud’s without blinking. His tongue felt hot and textured. Reno coated his hardness with wet saliva as he worked his way up and down.

Moaning, he whispered, “More...please.”

“Making you feel good, aren’t I?” Reno licked the precome gathering at his head. His hand fisted around him, stroking up and down.

Reno smoothed his hands along his naked thighs, trailing upwards towards his waist. He planted kisses there, letting his tongue dip inside his navel.

“Pay attention to what I’m doing. How it feels. You’ll give better head.”

It occurred to Cloud that this might not be a spontaneous seduction. He almost didn’t care, because all he could feel were the electric sensations of pleasure running through his nerves.

“Did Andrea ask you to ... teach me things?” He asked, his breath hitching.

Reno stopped his movements. “No, this is a favor from me. Because I like you. And you’re cute.”

As promised, Reno let him take control. But not without his refreshing brand of honesty.

“In this business, it’s really more fun to be a top,” Reno explained. “But looking at you ... well, even if I were a woman, I’d probably want to peg you.”

Cloud didn’t know what that was, but he assumed it was an insult.

This led to a fun conversation about various sex acts that he had no idea about.

Reno moaned and writhed underneath him. He told him about that secret spot inside of men that sent waves of pleasure through his core; Guided his fingers and angled his own hips so that Cloud could hit that spot with each thrust; Told him when to slow down, when to speed up, and when to withdraw completely before going back in.

“Fuck, fuck,” Reno grunted and tilted his head back. “Right there. Harder, kid.”

Cloud gave the red ponytail a little tug. “You didn’t say please.”

“ _Please_ fuck me harder.”

Reno began moaning with every thrust, echoing his movements. He guided Cloud’s hand onto his cock, sliding over it with the same rhythm of their hips moving together. A sound caught in Cloud’s throat as he felt Reno twitching and convulsing in his hand, the hot wetness dripping between his fingers.

With a shudder, he pulled out before his own orgasm and covered the redhead’s pale back with his come.

“Thank you, Reno,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh soo this is probably self-indulgent garbage, but if you like it at all, I appreciate any kudos or comments.
> 
> This started out as PWP but I have a lot more plot coming (interspersed with smut).


	4. The Puppy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no smut in this chapter.

Zack hadn’t noticed that he had run out of food until it was already too late.

The light in his fridge flickered. He frowned at the sad, half-filled bottle of ketchup sitting all by itself.

A growl rose from his stomach.

At his old job, he could always waltz into the employee cafeteria and pile on whatever he wanted.

Humming to himself, Zack happily stacked his cart full of beef cuts and potato chips. _Potatoes are considered a vegetable, right?_

His mom always disagreed with him on that point.

He hoped that his parents weren’t too worried about him. They had finished moving a few months ago, and he promised that he would visit when he could.

As the cashier finished scanning the last of his groceries, Zack reached for his wallet.

Only to pat nothing.

_Oh no._

“Oh God, this is embarrassing. I totally have money to pay for this, I swear!” he promised the cashier.

The cashier let out an exaggerated sigh.

“I’m so sorry, can you hold this for me while I go back to my apartment?”

“I can cover for him,” came a low, boyish voice from behind him.

Zack turned around to thank the kind stranger, only to choke on his words.

The most beautiful person he had ever was staring back at him.

His jaw became slack. No words would come out.

A look of concern passed over the stranger’s flawless face. Zack wanted to pinch the perfect porcelain cheeks, kiss those delicate pink lips.

He wanted to ruffle that spiky blond hair and get lost in those impossibly large blue eyes.

He wanted to...

Zack stopped himself before his thoughts became less chaste.

“It’s ok, really,” the stranger said with the tiniest smile. 

Zack’s heart skipped a beat at the sight.

The blond must have assumed that Zack was shocked by the offer, and not the overwhelming sight standing before him.

Finally, he found the ability to speak again.

“Are you sure? I mean, you don’t have to do that,” he stammered. Zack rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Really, it’s not a big deal.” A tinge of pink warmed over the blond’s face. Up close, he took notice of nearly invisible freckles. Cute.

Even his _voice_ just made him fall in love even more. Calm and casual.

Zack nervously gathered his bagged groceries, waiting for him to finish checking out.

“Hey, thank you. You really saved me the trouble. I’m Zack, by the way.”

“I’m Cloud.”

Cloud finished paying for his food. “Anyway, don’t worry about it. Just pay it forward when you have the chance.”

Zack’s stomach dropped. He was worried that he might never run into this beautiful stranger again.

Cloud was already walking away, and Zack quickened his pace.

“No way, I have to pay you back. That’s like two week’s worth of groceries here.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cloud insisted again.

“C’mon, I have to repay you somehow.” He paused, and tried to put on his best flirtatious face. “How about... I take you out on a date?”

The blond frowned.

Zack cringed and looked down. “I’m sorry. You’re obviously already taken. Can’t blame a guy for trying though, right?”

Cloud blushed. “I’m not, but...”

He was silent for a moment.

Maybe he wasn’t into guys. Or maybe he just wasn’t into Zack.

“...I’m not looking to date right now.”

Zack felt his pride and hope deflate like a sad balloon. That was the kind of thing people said when they were trying to let you down in the softest way possible.

He had said it himself, many times.

And someone like Cloud must have to deal with come-ons constantly.

“I’d say yes if I could,” Cloud said, his dark lashes covering his averted eyes. God, he looked pretty.

“But I’m just not in a place where I can do that.”

Well, that wasn’t a total rejection. Zack could work with that.

“That’s cool. I mean, we could still be friends, right?” He tried to pretend that he wasn’t disappointed.

“Friends?”

“Yeah. I mean, if you want. I would like to be your friend. I promise I’m not a creep.”

“Oh, I’m really good at spotting creeps. To be honest, I’m getting a little suspicious, as you seem to be following me home.” Cloud raised an eyebrow at him.

Zack realized then that they had walked several streets together.

“I swear, I’m not! My building is just down this way.” Zack held up his hands in protest, lifting his groceries as he did so.

Cloud chuckled. “Okay, I believe you.”

Zack was trying his best not to check out Cloud’s body, but he couldn’t help but sneak a glance. He was slender and youthful. Zack hoped that he wasn’t too young. Or else he’d really start feeling like a creep.

“So, Cloud... what do you do?”

Zack thought he saw him flinch.

“Studying, mostly. I do some odd jobs here and there. What about you?”

“I teach some martial arts at the local center. Kinda just doing part-time at the moment.” Zack wished he had something more impressive to say.

“Oh, that makes sense. You look really strong.”

“Hey, Cloud?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything. I never want to be one of those guys.”

“It’s fine.”

“So you don’t hate me? Promise?”

Cloud laughed. “I guess I can’t, with those puppy dog eyes of yours.”

Zack beamed.

“So this is me,” Cloud said, stopping in front of his building.

“Oh! I live here too. Ha, no wonder we were walking the same way this whole time.”

After they got in the elevator, Zack asked, “Floor?”

Cloud stared at the already lit number. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Zack heard their keys jingle at the same time as he looked next door. He began laughing.

“So... you’re the new guy who has been playing movies at three in the morning?”

“Shit, you’ve been hearing that? Sorry. I get insomnia sometimes.” Cloud frowned and his lips nearly formed a pout. 

He looked so adorable.

“It’s okay. I owe you one now, remember?” Zack grinned.

Cloud smiled cheekily. “You do. See you around, Zack.”

* * *

Zack learned that Cloud liked watching horror movies in the dark.

He wasn’t complaining. Cloud hung out on his couch, stuffing his face with popcorn, sitting so close that they could share a blanket.

The few times he had been to Cloud’s apartment, he was surprised by how spartan and unpersonalized the place was. As if he only meant to stay there a short time, or didn’t want to make his mark on it.

“Why do you like watching this stuff, anyway? I thought you get a lot of nightmares?”

Cloud shrugged. “I guess I’m trying to desensitize myself to it.”

“Is that why you got discharged from the army?”

He nodded, chin tucked into his knees. He looked so tiny and vulnerable to Zack, sometimes. “Because of the insomnia. And headaches.”

“Why’d you want to join the army so bad?”

He hated that the question cast a dullness in Cloud’s eyes. “I just wanted to get out from my hometown. I thought I could get a military scholarship and use that to pay for school.”

“Wait, I thought you’re in some classes now?”

Cloud swallowed. “I’m just doing some self-studies right now.”

Zack knew that look. Cloud always looked guilty and evasive with certain questions. But he had secrets of his own that he didn’t bother telling, so he figured it was fair.

They just did a lot of guy stuff. Played games together - Cloud was really good at Chocobo Runner - worked out together, sometimes ate dinner together. 

It was a little like they were dating, without actually dating.

It frustrated Zack, if only because he had to hold back his feelings.

He was willing to wait, though.

Admittedly, the entire thing started with how _ridiculously_ attractive Cloud was. But he also loved how kind he was. The unexpected sarcasm. Even the little confidence he had in himself - it was the kind of humility that others didn’t have. He felt protective of him.

One time, he leaned in to kiss him. He wasn’t thinking with his brain, or even his heart. It was just instinct.

But Cloud pulled back.

Zack apologized.

“I’m not good enough for you, Zack,” he whispered.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re amazing. That’s why you don’t want to date me?”

Cloud just shook his head and wouldn’t say any more.

It broke his heart a little. But he would be patient.

Then one afternoon, he turned down the hallway and stopped before veering around the corner.

He heard Cloud crying.

_“I don’t want to see him again. Can’t you find someone else?”_

He heard anger and sadness in his trembling voice.

Who was he talking about? Who was he talking to? 

_“You promised. You said I had a choice.”_

Zack seethed with anger. He wanted to attack whoever had made Cloud sound so broken.

He couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

He saw Cloud slumped against the wall. His face wet with tears. His eyes red.

“I have to go,” he said into his phone, before snapping it shut. Cloud was the only person he ever saw with a dumb phone.

“Hey, Cloudy. What happened?”

Cloud wiped his face with his sleeve and turned his head away.

“It’s nothing.”

“Cloud!” Zack said, alarmed. He saw bruises on his wrists and on his neck. “It’s not nothing! Who did this to you?”

“Please, Zack. Just drop it. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Cloud liked to act like nothing was wrong, but his pain was too obvious.

“I’ll kill him. I’ll kill whoever did this to you.” Zack wasn’t sure if he meant it. He wanted to mean it.

Zack just held him tight. Cloud choked back a sob. He had never seen him cry before. He could tell that he was trying hard not to. 

And he felt his heart break into a million pieces.

“It’s okay, Cloud. It’s okay. I’m here,” he murmured into soft blond hair. He could feel his tears making the shoulder of his shirt wet.

“C’mon. You can stay at my place tonight.”

Cloud showered and put on a black turtleneck and black sweatpants. He laid on the couch, staring into nothing silently for a while. 

As he began drifting into sleep, Zack ran a hand through his hair. It was something his own mother used to do, to soothe him. The motion seemed to calm Cloud down.

Zack wondered if this was what being in love meant.

Feeling pain that wasn’t your own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the fluff! Clack will have sexytimes eventually, but the plot I'm trying to cook up doesn't call for it right now.
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are appreciated! Thanks to everyone who did, I kind of feeling like I'm just blathering up words into the abyss sometimes.


	5. The Heir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strong hints of non-con/dub-con referenced.

Sephiroth had gotten rougher with him with each subsequent visit.

Tying his wrists to the headboard. Entering him raw and unprepared. 

Hands clutching his throat, so tightly that he almost blacked out.

“You know I like it when you’re scared,” he murmured as he kissed Cloud’s trembling body.

He was afraid to say no.

So he didn’t.

But though he didn’t vocalize his reluctance, his body said it for him. The way he tensed when he walked into the room.

The way he flinched when Sephiroth undressed him.

The way his shoulders hunched when he felt a breath on his neck.

And Sephiroth simply looked at him with euphoric eyes, as if his distress delighted him.

“You lied to me.”

Cloud looked at Andrea with betrayal.

There was a darkness in Andrea’s eyes he hadn’t seen before. He held Cloud’s face in his hands.

Andrea sighed. “This client is a very special one. A powerful one. The influence of money goes deep. You have no idea.”

All of Cloud’s clients were rich. He preferred the older, middle-aged and slightly overweight types. They were kind to him. They praised him. They worshipped him.

They were easy to please.

The younger and more handsome they were, the more they treated him like a toy. Rich socialites who could have anyone they wanted, but whom still chose to pay for someone who was obliged to obey.

“I can’t refuse his requests, Cloud. So neither can you.” Andrea’s thumbs brushed his ear.

He wanted to slap his hands away.

But if it weren’t for Andrea, he’d probably have ended up in the same place. Only in the slums.

“He’s not supposed to leave marks on you. I’ll talk to him about it.” There was something cold about his remark, as if Cloud were a piece of property.

Reno didn’t have much sympathy for him. 

“Did you really think there wasn’t an ugly side to this business? It’s all ugly, all the way down.”

“Andrea made it sound different.”

Reno snorted, callously.

“You should have considered more carefully before following down the rabbit hole, kid. You should be careful who you trust.”

Cloud felt a little awkward around Reno. He still teased him and invited him out for lunches, sometimes asking him to help deliver packages around town.

But Reno acted as if that evening had never happened.

“Your mistake,” Reno told him, “is linking emotions to what you do.”

Sometimes when he looked at Reno, all he saw was a sociopath.

A nice sociopath, but a sociopath.

And then he had met Zack.

And Zack was so pure.

Cloud felt dirty beside him.

He was careful to make sure that Zack and Reno never crossed paths. He didn’t want to explain himself.

He didn’t want to see that light in Zack’s eyes turn to disgust.

Cloud’s bruises faded, and Zack stopped asking about them.

He could tell that he wanted him to talk. He could see the vein along Zack’s neck tensing when he thought about it.

Instead, Zack took the time to teach him some self defense moves. Cloud didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was pointless. 

But he let Zack think that he was helping.

It hurt to look at him sometimes. His handsome face. His bright white teeth. His gentle blue eyes and his jagged black hair. The pain he’d seen on that face. Because of him.

No one had ever really cared like that, except his mother.

The only time he ever felt safe anymore was when he was with him.

And he could never really be with him. Not after what he had become.

* * *

Cloud dreaded his next appointment. It was a new client. 

A young executive who requested his presence in an office building, of all things.

He knew the type. They usually liked degrading and insulting him.

And he silently hoped that it wouldn’t be someone too vicious.

“Come in,” a low voice said.

Cloud stepped in cautiously. His client was clearly someone very high up, because his office was enormous.

It was bigger than his entire apartment.

The walls were covered in floor-to-ceiling windows, but the floor was so high up that he doubted anyone would be able to observe their activities.

Some clients wanted people to watch.

 _Rufus Shinra,_ read the plaque on the desk.

The sense of dread didn’t go away when he looked at his client. Handsome and regal, with icy blond hair and blue eyes just as cold.

He hovered near the doorway.

“Don’t be afraid. I don’t bite.” Rufus had a smile that stopped just short of his eyes.

He beckoned him with a finger.

Then Rufus got up from his chair and stood in front of Cloud, walking around him as if he were examining an object.

“You look like a smaller version of me,” he said, sounding pleased.

Cloud noted the narcissism. Rufus might enjoy praise, or just someone to listen.

He was never that good at talking, but he was a good listener. The occasional client never even fucked him at all; Just used him as a therapy session.

But observing the lust in his eyes, Cloud knew that this session was not going to be one of those.

“Undress for me.”

Shivering in the air-conditioned office, Cloud tried not to flinch as Rufus paced circles around him again.

“What’s your name, whore?”

Cloud swallowed. “Sky.”

“Pretty. Like your eyes.” His pale hands trailed slowly down his torso.

His hands were so soft and smooth. Rich boy hands.

“Sky,” he said. “I want you to get under my desk. I’m about to have a meeting in here. And I want you to suck my cock during it.”

That was a weird request, but he’d gotten used to some strange ones.

Cloud crawled under his desk, still naked.

It was a spacious desk, or he might not have fit at all.

Rufus gripped his chin. “But don’t let me come until the meeting is over. Do you think you can manage that?”

Rich people were into such weird shit.

Cloud nodded, leaning into his touch.

“Good boy.”

Cloud took out Rufus’ cock and was careful not to stimulate it too much. He avoided the head where the sensitive nerve endings were and gave small licks to the base.

He stilled when he heard the door open and close with a click.

“Hello, father,” Rufus said.

And Cloud thought _he_ had daddy issues.

“Rufus,” the father sounded irritated. “Do you care to tell me why you’ve suddenly sunken so much of my money in Jenova Holdings?”

“ _Our_ money,” Rufus corrected. “I am still your only heir, am I not, father?”

“Don’t bring up Lazard.”

“I didn’t.”

Cloud tried to follow the conversation, if only because he had nothing else to focus on. He felt Rufus’ hand playing with his ear.

He let the tip slip just past his mouth. Rufus tensed up his hips.

His tongue tapped on the underside of Rufus’ length. Flicking up against it repeatedly, as if it were a drum.

He could hear Rufus struggling to speak in an even tone, ever so slightly.

“Science and tech is the way of the future, father. We’re an energy and defense company, but we need to expand our sectors.”

“What we should have had was a merger with _Arsenal_. But you screwed that up by letting Scarlet get away, didn’t you?”

Rufus scoffed. “They merged with Jenova anyway. So having stockholder control over Jenova means we’ll have control over Arsenal.”

Cloud ghosted his lips over the head, barely touching it with his breath. Rufus twitched in his seat when he licked along the length, but otherwise gave no other indication of response.

“Besides,” Rufus continued casually. “I bet she regrets her choice now. I bet he doesn’t even fuck her.”

“Sephiroth is a threat to our company,” his father spewed angrily. “You may view him lightly, but I do not.”

_Sephiroth?_

Cloud froze, until Rufus’ fingers reminded him to keep working.

“Must you always compare me to him, father? Was he the son you always wanted?”

“You should envy him. He succeeded at the one thing _you’ve_ always wanted,” his father said in a disgusted tone.

Rufus sounded annoyed. “And what is that?”

His father spat out the words. “He killed his father.”

There was an uncomfortable silence after that. Cloud didn’t dare breathe.

He felt even more sick in the stomach now than before.

“That’s just a rumor,” Rufus said cooly.

“I think he may have hated him even more than you hate me.”

Rufus tugged Cloud’s face forward, encouraging him to work more quickly. Perhaps indicating that the meeting would end soon.

“You wound me, father. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you,” Rufus said in a dead voice.

“I question your loyalty, boy. And you never give me reasons to distrust my doubts.”

Rufus hummed to himself, amused. “Loyalty goes to the highest bidder.”

He leaned forward, which thrusted his cock deeper into Cloud’s mouth. It startled him, but he tried not to make any noise.

“Isn’t that what you always taught me?”

His father grunted at that.

Feeling Rufus’ fingers stroking his face, Cloud bobbed his head back and forth as quietly as he could. He let the precome dribble down his throat and chin.

Sounding displeased, his father continued in his gravelly voice. “My sources tell me that there’s a problem within Jenova. Since Hojo died, there’s rumors that their main source code is encrypted and unretrievable.”

“I know,” Rufus said. “And their head engineer is missing.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Rufus. Don’t make me punish you for your foolishness.”

“You underestimate me, father. Like you always have.”

Another tense silence.

“You may go now,” Rufus said coldly.

After his father left, Rufus eased his chair back, giving Cloud room to exit the cramped space.

Cloud didn’t think he was supposed to overhear even half of what he did. Why would Rufus even allow that? It seemed like a reckless thing to do.

As if reading his thoughts, Rufus cocked his head at him. “You won’t say anything, will you? Not if you value your worthless little life.”

His body stiffened.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” Cloud lied.

Rufus smirked ruefully. “Finish what you started, whore. I want to watch my come go down your throat.”

Cloud crawled up into the man’s lap, easing his mouth down onto his thick and stiff cock, and rapidly descended from tip to base, over and over.

He wanted Rufus to finish. He wanted to just go home.

The older man leaned his head back and groaned softly.

When he felt the organ reaching a crescendo, he tilted his own head back and pointed the tip forward, so Rufus could see his seed hit the back of Cloud’s tongue.

After he finished, Rufus wiped a stray drop of his come from Cloud’s cheek. And pushed it into his aching mouth with his thumb.

“So obedient,” he said, as he kissed Cloud on the forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) Ah there's so few Rufus/Cloud fics compared to other ships, but wasn't Rufus so flirty in that FF7R boss fight?
> 
> Are you surprised about who Sephiroth is married to?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it, please leave some kudos and comments if you can!


	6. The Kingpin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References to sex trafficking. Also, Corneo likes to call himself Daddy.

“This assignment is going to be a bit different than usual.”

Cloud already did _not_ like the sound of that.

Andrea had attempted to placate him with more money lately, but it did nothing to earn back his trust. He almost didn’t want it.

Sephiroth continued to request him, and Cloud couldn’t conceive of how his “meetings” with the man could possibly get worse.

And then he found out that the man had allegedly murdered his own father.

It was as if he could smell the fear coming off him, and the scent had only made him more vicious.

A serpent, waiting to strike.

The man had also become strangely obsessive.

_“How many other lovers have you had, Cloud? Have you lost count?” Sephiroth murmured into his ear._

_“How... how do you know my real name?”_

_Sephiroth only chuckled darkly in response._

He didn’t trust anything Andrea had to say anymore. But he was still forced to listen.

It didn’t seem as if Andrea was being purposefully cruel. More like he had decided to look the other way.

Cloud thought, in some ways, that was worse.

Frowning, he held up the dark puffy dress and blue corset that had been thrown at his lap. 

“You want me to wear _this_?”

Reno grinned at him. The bed dipped as he sat uncomfortably close. “Aw, I bet you look pretty in a dress.”

“Fuck off, Reno.”

Cloud wrung his hands in frustration. Reno reached over and released his fingers one by one, so that his grip wouldn’t ruin the black lace.

“I don’t understand why you would send _me_. Why wouldn’t you send an _actual_ girl? If that’s what he likes?”

“He’s already seen all of our girls. And he’ll never see the same one twice,” Andrea explained.

“Yeah, and some of them don’t come back,” Reno added idly, picking at a hangnail.

_Didn’t come back?_

“What? What do you mean?” Cloud felt ice in his chest.

“Here’s the deal,” Reno clarified. “The Don is kind of a competitor of ours, right? But not really, because he mostly specializes in girls, and his girls are more average.”

“Just one desperate slum girl after another - the kind who wouldn’t make it up here in the upscale districts.”

“But he’s been poaching in our territory. He requests our girls and some of them just disappear. Maybe he’s killing them. More likely he’s been selling them.”

Cloud hated the man already and he hadn’t even met him.

“So why would you send in a _guy_ in a fucking _dress_? Won’t he just ... undress me and get pissed off?”

A lazy grin spread across Reno’s face. “Your job isn’t to fuck him, kid.”

“Your job is to get into his mansion.”

“Unlock the side doors.”

“And distract him long enough for me to kill him.”

Cloud stared at Reno.

Then he looked at Andrea.

“I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t sign up for any of this.”

Andrea’s look was distant and hard. “It’s just part of the business. We’re contracted for a lot of different things, Cloud.”

“These are the kinds of ‘errands’ you do, Reno?” His tone was accusatory.

Cloud searched his eyes, but the redhead looked in every direction but his.

“Like I told you, Cloud. I do what I’m good at.” Reno peeled off the hangnail, leaving a bead of blood on his fingers.

He discussed murder as if it were a mundane chore.

Reno almost appeared bored. “Look, you go in, you open up the side door. I’ll dispatch the three or four goons they have out front.”

“You just keep sweet talking Corneo for like fifteen minutes. Maybe suck his dick. Then I’ll come for you and put a bullet in his head.”

“What if he kills me? What if they find out that I’m a man?” 

All of the dangerous possibilities flooded Cloud’s mind.

He thought about never seeing Zack again.

He thought about dying in a fucking dress.

Reno finally looked at him, sighing. “Then you better put on a convincing show, doll.”

* * *

“Holy shit.”

Reno walked around him, his gaze predatory.

“I figured you’d pass, but not this well.”

Andrea stepped back to admire his handiwork. He brought with him an entire trunk of cosmetic supplies to the hotel room. “Absolutely gorgeous, if I do say so myself.”

Cloud glared at both of them. In the mirror, he could see that the skillfully applied makeup had softened his jawline and feminized his features.

The long sleeves covered his arms, which were a bit more muscular than a woman’s, and the blue corset gave the illusion of a bust that wasn’t there.

The wig really sold the whole thing.

Admittedly, he already possessed the slightly androgynous type of beauty needed to pull this kind of thing off.

He had always been called pretty, whether as a compliment or a slur.

Which is probably why they picked him for the job.

“You guys forgot one thing. My voice? How am I going to get away with that?”

“Just whisper like you’re shy. Or avoid talking. It’s not like you don’t do that already,” Reno smirked.

“Fine,” he muttered.

“Atta girl.” Reno swatted him on the ass, and Cloud could have killed him just then.

And then he remembered who the actual killer was in the room, and shivered.

“Remember to walk like a girl, too,” Reno pointed out.

“How the hell do you ’walk‘ like a girl?”

“I don’t know. Act demure or shy or some shit. Take up less room.”

Cloud folded his hands in front of himself and walked in smaller strides. That seemed to satisfy Reno.

Then he felt Reno’s lips on his ear and his arm around his waist.

“It’s okay, kid. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

But Cloud didn’t believe in promises anymore.

* * *

Cloud had a dilemma.

He wanted to say goodbye to Zack. Just in case.

But he couldn’t just take off all this shit they’d just put on him.

And he didn’t want to face him wearing any of it, either.

They didn’t have time for that, anyway.

So he did the only thing he could.

_Pick up the phone, Zack._

“Cloud?”

“Hey, Zack.”

“What’s up, buddy?”

Cloud winced. He knew that Zack thought of him as more than that. But Zack thought his feelings were unrequited, so he pulled himself back.

He tried to act like they were just best friends. Because he didn’t want to make Cloud uncomfortable.

But they were - they _were_ best friends. And maybe more than that.

“I just wanted to hear your voice,” Cloud stammered.

Zack laughed. “Right, because I sound so sexy?”

“Sorry,” he added. “Joking.”

“Zack... I just wanted to say... that I really like you. And I care about you.”

The silence on the other end of the line made his heart drop into his stomach.

“Hello? You there?”

“I’m here,” Zack said softly. He had never heard his voice that soft.

Then he switched back to his usual energetic timbre.

“Uh, Cloud? You know that I like you too, right? Like, really, really, REALLY like you?”

“Yeah. And I’m sorry that... I always seem unavailable. It’s complicated.”

“It’s ok, Cloud.”

Cloud gulped. “Yeah, so I just wanted you to know that.”

“Why are you talking like you’re dying?”

Then he heard Zack shouting, in his typical overzealous, energetic way.

“Oh my god, PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE NOT DYING.”

“I’m not dying, Zack.”

“Okay. Well. Thanks for telling me. You want to come over tonight for dinner?”

“Maybe not tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow, then.”

“Bye, Zack.”

He hung up the phone.

* * *

Don Corneo was absolutely repulsive.

Cloud meant that in every way possible. And he’s had his share of disgusting clients - some who were disgusting on the inside, some on the outside.

This asshole was both.

First, the jackass fucking _smelled_ him. He tried to keep his body language small and delicate as Reno had suggested.

What he really wanted to do was kick this fucker in the nuts. 

_Or cut them off_ , he thought to himself, as Corneo’s putrid breath invaded his face.

“Shy, aren’t we, kitten?” The man leered at him with a waggle of his tongue.

He reacted the same way that Sephiroth did. As if his obvious reluctance fed their arousal.

“You’ll do what Daddy wants, won’t you, sweetheart?” 

His impossibly wide grin grew even wider, as he observed the dismay on Cloud’s face.

Sick fuck.

His wavy curl of hair sat on the top of his otherwise bald head, like a small animal had mistakenly sought shelter there.

Corneo leaned in to bite his earlobe and started sliding his hands down his bodice, towards his crotch.

Panicking, Cloud turned around quickly and got on his knees.

“Eager little bitch, aren’t you?” The man laughed like a horse. “Give Daddy some sugar, then.”

He wanted to throw up. This piece of shit preyed on young desperate girls who had nowhere else to go and sold them.

Although... wasn’t Andrea the same?

Still, Cloud found himself kneeling in front of the man’s bulging gut and unbuckling his belt.

It was bigger than he had imagined. Thick. Like a slug.

As much as it pained him, Cloud still did his best to suck the man off.

After all, the more distracted he was, the better.

Cloud prayed that Reno had made it into the mansion and that it would all be over soon.

Corneo licked his lips, staring down at him. Smiling lasciviously. “Take it in, kitten. Yes, just like that.”

He withdrew his mouth and tried to whisper as softly pitched as he could. “I can go deeper if you like.”

“Yes, kitten. Show Daddy what you can do.”

Suppressing his disgust, Cloud allowed the tip to go just past his molars.

Corneo groaned. “Mmm. Good girl.”

Cloud secretly thanked Andrea for affixing his wig so well, because the Don was gripping it hard.

And just as Corneo was about to come in his throat, he heard a sharp sound.

The smell of gunpowder.

And Corneo’s blood spattering on his face.

Wiping his face on his sleeve, he looked up at Reno covered in the same red flecks.

“Took you long enough.”

* * *

They weren’t really that far from upper Midgar. But it would be a hassle to travel at this time of night, so Cloud and Reno were stuck in a hotel nearby.

Cloud felt relieved.

He tore off the uncomfortable lace and bustier. He washed the blood and semen out of his hair and wiped the makeup off his face.

They had managed to get rid of their mess at the mansion.

Don Corneo had an incinerator in his basement that was perfect for getting rid of bodies. Of course he did.

Reno complained that every job had an element of grunt work. For him, it was clean up.

“I’m taking a shower,” he announced, leaving the door ajar.

It unsettled Cloud that Reno killed people.

It unsettled him because he still, for whatever reason, liked him.

Not the way he liked Zack.

But still in a fond sort of way.

Cloud wondered if it was a mistake to confess his feelings on the phone. He would have to come clean to Zack about everything. And hope that he’d still want anything to do with him afterwards.

And now, he was apparently an accomplice to murder. With hitmen.

No, he couldn’t drag Zack into any of this bullshit. The thought gnawed at his gut.

He eyed a pile of manila folders on top of Reno’s stuff.

The top folder was labeled “Don”. It had a red line drawn across the word. A little sticker labeled “termination” was affixed next to the name.

Cloud froze when he saw the folder with the name “Zack Fair.”

The sticker said “acquisition”.

He opened it to see a familiar face staring back at him.

Panic rose inside him.

Cloud scanned through the text rapidly. Jenova. Encryption. Disappearance. None of it made any sense to him.

He flinched as he felt Reno’s chin hovering over his shoulder.

A warm breath in his ear.

“See something interesting?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any excuse to put Cloud in a dress, right?
> 
> TBH Corneo/Wall Market was my favorite part in OG and Remake, even though the Don grosses me out.
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated!
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	7. The Wolf

Cloud tried not to let his hands shake in front of Reno.

He stared at Zack’s ever pleasant and smiling face looking back at him from the folder.

“Just being nosy,” he swallowed heavily.

“Doesn’t look like a computer nerd, right? Would’ve guessed this guy was a linebacker or some shit.” Reno laid back on one of the twin beds, wearing only a towel around his waist.

His damp red hair spread out behind his head. Cloud had never seen him with his hair down before. The dim yellow glow of the hotel lamps made his bare skin look warmer.

“Who is he?”

Reno yawned. “Some former software engineer at Jenova. You’ve heard of that company, right?”

Jenova was ubiquitous. It was the most used search engine in the world. It made products from cars to software to military-grade weapons to biomedical tech. It was on everyone’s phones except Cloud’s shitty burner flip phone.

Sephiroth’s company.

Zack had never mentioned that he worked there.

“What does ‘acquisition’ mean?”

“Means we’re trying to get our hands on the person and bring them in.”

“Why are you so interested in him?” Cloud tried so hard not to let the fear creep into his voice, but it did.

“There’s something he knows that is extremely valuable to one of our clients.”

Cloud struggled to keep his breath steady. “Why doesn’t he just give them what they want?”

Reno stared at Cloud. “Because they would probably want him dead after they get what they want.”

“Why?” His heart was beating so fast that he thought he’d be sick.

“He saw something he wasn’t supposed to see.”

“What did he see?”

“Me.”

There was an eerie look to Reno’s eyes. He got up out of bed.

“Shooting his boss in the head,” he clarified.

Then Cloud felt a pistol on his back.

Reno’s lips grazed the shell of his ear. “So do you want to call him?”

“Who?”

“Your boyfriend.”

“This isn’t funny, Reno.” Cloud trembled. He heard him flick the safety switch off the gun.

“I’m not joking, kid.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Even Cloud wouldn’t believe himself, with how much his voice shook.

“I’ve seen this guy hanging out in front of your apartment. I heard your lovey-dovey call at the hotel. I’ve seen you eating sandwiches at fucking Chocobo Ranch together.”

Cloud tried to block the tears that were forming behind his eyes. He felt so fucking stupid. He felt stupid for ever trusting anyone.

“Question is, does he give enough of a shit about you that he’ll come where we ask?”

Reno slid the muzzle of the gun along his spine.

“What do you think, kid?”

He tried to deaden the emotion in his voice. “You left these files out for me to look at.”

“Ah, you’re slow. But now you’re catching on.”

“Fuck you, Reno.”

“We did that once already, Cloud. Remember?”

The taunting in his voice made his lips curl upward in revulsion.

“You’ve been spying on me.” It was a statement, not an accusation.

Reno didn’t deny or confirm.

“If you knew where he lives, why didn’t you just take him?” Cloud asked.

Reno humored him. “Do you want to know what you learn after interrogating a lot of people?”

“Interrogate? You mean torture?” Cloud said, disgusted.

“If that’s what you want to call it. Well, you find out that some people don’t respond to threats to _themselves_.”

“But threats to people they care about...” Reno trailed off. “Usually gives better results.”

Cloud’s lips trembled. He didn’t want Zack to come for him. But he wanted Zack to come for him.

Reno sighed.

“Don’t fucking cry, Cloud. Just call him. Don’t make this hard.”

Cloud wouldn’t move.

“I knew you were a goddamn baby the first time I saw you.”

Reno grabbed the flip phone from his pocket and scrolled through the recent call list with one thumb.

He put it on speaker and set it down on the dresser.

It rang. Three times.

“Cloud?”

“Hi, Zack. You know who I am, right?” Reno said into the air.

The phone was silent for seven long seconds.

“Yeah. I know who you are.”

“There’s a warehouse near the Wall Market region that I want you to be at in two hours. 274-10 on Loveless Street.”

Cloud tried to shout. He tried to tell Zack to leave and never come back.

But Reno’s hand was clamped over his mouth.

“If you ever want to see Cloud again, meet us there.”

The phone went dead.

* * *

The warehouse was entirely empty.

It was housed in an old field where all the buildings around were factories. None of which were operating at this hour.

Reno dragged him to the center of it, his wrists tied behind his back.

Threw him at the ground.

In front of a pair of black boots.

Sephiroth knelt down and curled his hand under Cloud’s chin.

“It’s a shame it turned out to be you,” he said regretfully.

Cloud stared at him with vitriol.

“I’m hoping that it won’t come to killing you in order to get what I want.”

The silver-haired man pressed a soft kiss to his temple.

“After all, I’d like to keep you.”

It took all the control he had not to spit in the man’s face.

Cloud hated that he was reduced to begging. He knew how much Sephiroth enjoyed it when he did. Gloated, even.

“Please, Sephiroth. Do ... whatever you want. To me.”

The words came out of him like acid.

“Just don’t hurt Zack.”

Sephiroth frowned, gripping Cloud at the back of his head, tugging him onto his knees.

“Does he mean that much to you?” There was a trace of jealousy in his voice.

With a sneer, he kicked Cloud in the ribs, making him double over. It knocked the air out of his lungs.

His voice was mocking. “Does he give you the same pleasure as I do?” A pause. “The same pain?”

Sephiroth kicked him again, with more force this time. Cloud thought he felt a bone crack.

And then he heard a door open. Footsteps.

“Cloud!”

All three of their heads turned towards the sound.

Zack emerged from the shadows. His expression was pained.

“Let him go,” he said with a tight jaw. The anger pulsed under his tanned skin.

He felt relief and terror at the same time. Zack came for him. A secret, self-loathing part of him was afraid that he wouldn’t.

But it terrified him that he did.

In a lightning fast movement, Reno had his pistol pressed to Cloud’s head. He hauled him roughly to his feet.

“Give us what we want. The decryption key. And we’ll let your boy go.” Reno’s other arm circled around him, pressing against his throat.

“Don’t!” Cloud yelled. “Don’t tell them anything, Zack. They’re just going to kill you. Just leave. Please leave.”

“I can’t do that, Cloud,” he said under his breath. His furious blue eyes looked from Reno to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth walked up to Zack.

He looked down at him with a cold, disdainful gaze.

“So this is what you prefer over me, Cloud?”

“Don’t,” Cloud begged.

“One of my father’s programming nerds?”

He turned to Zack.

“Do you even know what he is?”

Cloud trembled. “Don’t. _Please_. Sephiroth.”

The silver-haired man smiled cruelly. “Did you know that he cries, when I fuck him?”

Cloud bowed his head. Shame overwhelmed him.

“He cries in pleasure and he cries in pain. Sometimes both, at once.”

Sephiroth walked over and forced Cloud to look up. He slipped two fingers into his mouth.

He wanted to bite those fingers until he tasted bone.

“Do you know how many cocks have been in this mouth? He’s a beautiful whore, isn’t he? But still a whore.” He emphasized the last word with a sneer.

Zack was shaking with anger.

“Did you know that I was his first?” Sephiroth asked softly.

He removed his fingers and caressed his jaw. He smiled fondly at Cloud’s agonized expression.

“He was so _innocent_.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Zack whispered.

“I don’t think you’re in any position to make threats,” Sephiroth hissed back.

“You want something only I can give. You want it desperately. And if you kill me, you won’t get it,” Zack stated calmly.

Sephiroth curled his lips. The only leverage he had was Cloud.

“Your father used me as a fail-safe, by the way. He saw what a piece of shit you are. He saw it coming,” Zack continued.

He gave Sephiroth a withering smile. “He asked me to code a Dead Man’s switch. Without Hojo’s daily input, the whole system would lock up. I didn’t like your old man either, but he was smart.”

Sephiroth stared at him with a cold rage.

“You could have waited, but you wanted your inheritance early, didn’t you?”

Zack’s gaze never faltered.

“Even in death, he wanted you to fucking _fail_.”

“Zack,” Reno warned softly. “I know you don’t want to watch me put a bullet in this kid’s brain.” He cocked the gun for effect.

Sephiroth threw a pad of paper and pen at Zack. They clattered on the ground.

Reno spoke to Zack in a calm, lilting tone.

“I’m going to count to five. And when I finish, I want you to write down the cipher on the paper. And if you’re not finished by then, I’m going to press the trigger.”

Cloud thought of the image of Reno’s face, flecked with Corneo’s blood.

“Five.”

Zack picked up the paper and pen.

“Four.”

He scribbled on it furiously.

“Please don’t, Zack. Don’t do it,” Cloud begged.

“Three.”

Zack kept writing.

“Two.”

_“LEAVE, ZACK!”_

“One.”

Zack crumpled it into a ball and threw it at Reno. He looked defeated.

Keeping the muzzle pressed against Cloud’s head, Reno made a call. He read off the sequence one character at a time.

He waited a few seconds for a response.

“It worked,” Reno announced.

Cloud watched with pure dread as Sephiroth gave Reno a slight nod of his head.

And Reno stopped pointing the gun at him.

And pointed it at Zack.

“On your knees,” Reno ordered.

Zack sank to his knees.

Reno pressed the gun to Zack’s head.

“No!” Terror seized his throat. “Stop!” He had to stop them. It hurt to breathe. He stumbled towards Reno.

Sephiroth kicked him to the ground. Cloud tried to crawl despite his bound hands and broken ribs. Every part of him ached.

Reno looked back at him, for just a fraction of a second. “I’m really sorry, kid.”

Then he focused his attention back on Zack.

Cloud felt Sephiroth dragging him by the ankles.

“Please, Reno, don’t.”

His voice cracked.

“Reno.”

Cloud couldn’t watch. He was a fucking coward and he couldn’t watch.

So he shut his eyes.

The sound that tore through the air took the breath out of his lungs.

A sob escaped from his body. It was a sound that he didn’t even know he was capable of making.

Like the last, mournful howl of a lone wolf.

And he never wanted to open his eyes again.

Then, he heard a choked gasp to his left.

And he opened his eyes to see Sephiroth. Laying in a pool of his own blood.

“Cloud!”

Zack’s voice.

Zack was holding him.

Zack was untying his wrists.

Zack was wrapped around him so tightly that his ribs started hurting more.

Reno put his gun in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

A warm glow illuminated the tattoos on his cheekbones, briefly.

“Reno…” Cloud swallowed thickly. Trying to find the words. “Why did you ... change your mind?”

“I didn’t,” he answered.

“Then... why…”

“Loyalty goes to the highest bidder,” he replied.

He stared at them both, exhaling smoke from his lips. Silent for a moment.

“I wasn’t asked to kill either of you. Not by my new boss.”

And he saw something human flicker in Reno’s eyes.

“So pretend you were never here.”

Cloud’s emotions were a swirl of gratitude and confusion and love and hatred.

“You won’t come after us?”

Reno looked at him with weary eyes.

“No, kid. I won’t.”

Zack carried his weight as they left, hefting Cloud’s arm around his broad shoulders. They walked side by side, dragging his injured body forward.

Cloud took one last look behind them.

“Thank you, Reno,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you that left comments and kind words and kudos along the way.
> 
> It means a lot, as I struggle with self loathing, particularly with things I create.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. ❤️
> 
> One last chapter next for that Clack HEA and other loose ends!


	8. Epilogue

“Zack.”

He was afraid to look into his eyes.

“I’m sorry for not telling you the truth.” Cloud’s voice shook as he spoke.

He wasn’t expecting to hear Zack’s hollow laughter in response. It was so unlike his usual cheerful demeanor. The sound of it stung, causing the doubts to resurface in his mind.

“You’re sorry? Cloud, you have nothing to be sorry about.” Zack’s eyes were remorseful. 

“ _I’m_ the one who should be sorry. My secret almost got you _killed_.”

Zack gave a long, shuddering sigh. “It was selfish of me. I should have known that they were watching me. I put you in danger.”

Cloud hesitated. There had been a question on his mind ever since that night.

“Why did you come for me?”

Zack ruffled his hair, like he always did. “Do you really have to ask that, Cloud? You don’t know?”

“You’re a good guy. You always try to do the right thing.” Cloud lowered his eyes, uncertain.

“Cloud.” Zack cupped the sides of his face, cradling his jaw in his warm, rough palms. “I didn’t come out of guilt. Or because it was what a good guy would do.”

Zack leaned forward until their foreheads touched. He closed his eyes, his voice trailing to a near whisper. “I came because ... I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.”

Cloud allowed the warmness of the intimate gesture to linger for a moment, before lowering his head. “I didn’t deserve to be saved. You... Zack, you almost _died_ for me.”

“And I would. I would die protecting you, if I had to.” Zack’s voice took on a raw and unguarded quality.

Cloud didn’t think he could handle the words that he knew would come spilling out next.

“Because I love you, Cloud.”

His heart felt so heavy and light at the same time.

“I ... I love you too, Zack.”

And he let their lips meet for a slow, delicate kiss. Cloud didn’t pull away at first.

“You don’t ... think I’m disgusting?” he asked with a shaky breath and hunched shoulders.

“You’re still Cloud. You’re still the same to me. I understand why you didn’t want to tell me. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

Zack’s words cut all the tension that had been inside him. He felt relieved, but still hesitant.

He felt Zack’s hand sliding over his chest, trailing down his biceps. He intertwined his fingers with Cloud’s.

“Do you want to?” he whispered.

Cloud hovered his lips over Zack’s. This was different, somehow. More intimate than anything he’d ever done before. It was vulnerability, not in the way that he was used to, but an entirely different feeling.

“Yes,” he breathed, pressing their lips together. Zack pulled him into the kiss with a hunger.

He felt a little awkward. He didn’t want Zack to feel like a ... client. He didn’t want to get it wrong. He was so used to putting on a mask during sex. A persona. A barrier to block the outside from the weak parts of himself.

But Zack didn’t seem to mind at all. He leaned into every kiss, every touch. He was tender and sweet, even though his hands and body explored him with a desperation.

Cloud felt safe with him. He could be himself, for once. His real self.

“Are you sure? It’s okay if you’re not ready.” Zack’s fingertips trailed over his bruised ribs, just beginning to heal, with the lightest touch.

“There’s nothing I’m more sure about.”

A warm, handsome face grinned over him. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear that.”

Zack took off his shirt. The sight of his tanned, muscular body made him feel heated in all the right places.

People had always told him that he was beautiful, including Zack. It felt like a burden, of sorts. He felt like it was a thing he had to carry around, that others wanted and used him for.

He thought that once people saw past the veneer, they wouldn’t like who he was on the inside.

Weak. Afraid. A failure.

But Zack.

He was beautiful inside and out. The inside of him shone in his bright smile and his easy manner.

And he made Cloud feel truly beautiful. He never judged him. He loved him, despite his flaws.

Zack’s eyes grew dark with lust. He kissed below his navel, careful to avoid his bruised skin. He lowered his mouth onto Cloud, sinking over the length at a maddeningly slow pace.

Cloud felt himself twitching and hardening instantly, a heat rising in him and flushing over his body.

Zack’s hands gripped his hips lightly as he teased his tongue along Cloud’s erection. He bucked his lower body upward in response to his soft lips.

His wet mouth worked him until he could feel his heartbeat pulsing between his legs. The sensations made the sounds escaping Cloud’s throat more needy.

He could feel the beginnings of an orgasm building up, passing through him in growing waves, threatening to reach a shuddering crest.

Before Cloud’s arousal could reach a feverish pitch, Zack crawled upwards, shushing him and pressing him down gently, when he expressed frustration at the abrupt withdrawal.

“Not yet,” Zack whispered.

He trailed his mouth back up Cloud’s body, laying soft kisses along the way. He flicked a nipple with the tip of his tongue, tracing circles around it. The teasing was almost too much - it left him aching and wanting for more, but in a good way.

They lay with their bodies pressed together. Blue eyes gazing into blue. Zack grinded slightly over him, his arms caging the sides of him, so that he wouldn’t have to rest his weight on Cloud’s torso.

With each subtle shift in Zack’s movements, he felt the electric shiver of their cocks brushing against each other, again and again.

He smiled down at Cloud, stealing a slow kiss from his lips.

“Is it okay if I top, Cloud?” he said into his ear.

He turned his head to brush his lips against Zack’s neck. “I want you to,” he assured him. 

“Yeah? You want me to?” Zack teased breathily.

“I... I want you to fuck me,” Cloud replied, and embarrassment colored his cheeks for a moment.

Zack chuckled, smiling against his turned face. “You’re so cute when you talk dirty. I like it.” He bit into Cloud’s studded earlobe and felt Cloud’s cock twitch in response.

They were careful to use plenty of lubricant and preparation. Cloud laid himself back on a pillow and parted his knees for Zack, who lifted them in order to position himself.

Zack pressed his face against his raised ankles and kissed them as he held them the air. No one had ever done that to him before. 

He wanted to savor this touch that belonged to Zack alone.

Cloud wrapped his legs around Zack’s torso. The heels of his feet pressed into the dimples in the small of his back.

He heard Zack utter a low groan as he entered him. “You feel so fucking good,” he whispered to Cloud.

The pace was slow and gentle at first. Then Zack shifted until he could thrust at a deeper angle. His movements grew faster and more intense. Cloud’s loud moans of enjoyment told him that he could go harder.

He kissed Cloud’s neck between thrusts, letting his teeth catch on his skin, running his hands along his thighs.

Their shallow breaths synchronized, becoming quicker and quicker, until they orgasmed together with a low cry. Zack relaxed on top of him in a satisfying embrace.

After cleaning themselves off with hot towels, Cloud curled himself into Zack’s arms and drifted off into sleep.

It was the first night, in a long time, that Cloud had slept without any nightmares.

* * *

They decided to leave the city.

Cloud had received one contrite phone call from Andrea.

It was the last call he ever took on that burner phone.

Andrea said that he was sorry for everything. That he knew deep down he had been a bad person, even if he was just acting by proxy.

He insisted on wiring Cloud one last extra large bonus, saying that he could use it for a new start.

He told him that he was planning to open a cabaret bar, and exit out of the black market.

After news of Sephiroth’s death, which had been ruled a suicide, the company’s stock was reallocated among existing shareholders proportionally. 

His estate’s only beneficiary had been the company itself.

The tabloids were plastered with pictures of his busty blonde widow crying.

She had apparently been caught in her infidelities by an undisclosed source, which invalidated her prenuptial contract, leaving her with next to nothing.

The headlines claimed that the Shinra-Jenova merger made it the most powerful company in the world, nearly a complete monopoly.

A recruiter tried to woo Zack with a job offer, but he turned them down.

He could easily find work at any other company, working remotely. He acted as if he weren’t incredibly smart. Most people looked at him and thought he was just a dumb, pretty jock.

But Zack never talked down to people. He was just so easy going and friendly that people didn’t notice his intelligence. Although, sometimes Zack did act dumb. Like when he kept insisting that potato chips were a vegetable.

Cloud went back to that hole-in-the-wall Wutainese place a few times, hoping to run into Reno. At the same time, hoping that he would never see Reno again.

He never showed. It left him with a bittersweet feeling.

With enough saved to study whatever he wanted, Cloud thought he might go into mechanical engineering. He always wanted to design motorcycles and gadgets and things like that.

Zack promised him that they could travel wherever, but he wanted to go home first.

“You’ll like Gongaga,” Zack said into his neck, nuzzling him. 

“It’s a small town too, but the weather is hot. And the people are friendly.”

“Will they be okay about us?” Cloud asked.

“Yeah. My parents are gonna love you.” He kissed the tip of Cloud’s nose.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because they’re like me. And I love you.”

And Cloud looked forward to going home, again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thank you for reading if you've made it this so far.
> 
> And thank you so much to everyone who has commented or gave kudos along the way. ❤️
> 
> Especially [UnLike_Us](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnLike_Us/pseuds/UnLike_Us), I’ve enjoyed chatting with you throughout the chapters!
> 
> Please check out [UnLike_Us](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnLike_Us/pseuds/UnLike_Us)'s wonderful [fanart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14627151/chapters/62205085) (SFW) drawn for chapter 2! ✨
> 
> * * *
> 
> The portrayal of Reno is mostly my headcanon of a flirtatious semi-sociopath, and partly inspired by [Servetolive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Servetolive/pseuds/Servetolive)'s amazing [Heaven or Hell](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301438/chapters/58580521) story I've been following (particularly the use of the pet name "doll" and the categories of "terminations" and "acquisitions" in the Corneo chapter).
> 
> I encourage you to read it, especially if you like darker, grittier works and villains (the prose might draw you in, even if you don't.)
> 
> His beautiful and vicious Reno makes mine look like a Disney prince.
> 
> If the author happens to be reading this, know that I'm one of your loyal commenters, under a different name. :) This fic is probably way too soft for your tastes, so I hope that the inspiration is not embarassing or offensive, if you ever choose to read it. I am too embarassed to even bring it to your attention, honestly.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Also thanks to shardsofstrife for the encouragement to deanonymize.
> 
> I said I'd probably not ever write anything again, but I got FF7 brainrot, so here we are.
> 
> The first creative writing I've ever done is a [Seph/Cloud oneshot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24963325/chapters/60429028) where they're actually nice to each other.
> 
> Thanks also to folks in the Clickety-Clack Discord (particularly SuiCausa, SUNgoddessOKAMI, Dergun) for advice on tagging, smut, and writing Zack’s POV.
> 
> * * *
> 
> I think some of you may have clicked on this for Clack fluff/smut, so I hope that it did not disappoint. Sorrynotsorry that it took eight chapters to get there.
> 
> I still feel really insecure about writing (and everything else, really), so thanks for putting up with my self-deprecating author notes. Just knowing that someone, somewhere out there enjoyed this, made me feel a little less terrible about writing it.
> 
> I think I will go back into hibernation now, but I will probably write more things, as I can't seem to shake this FF7 obsession.
> 
> Edit: I just compulsively wrote an [Android Clack Love Story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674277) in one day, because I couldn't get the idea out of my mind. If you liked this story, you might like that one too.


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